THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
superior element would be increased by
cutting off the inferior element from re
production, and I begin to suspect that
students of eugenics have overrated the
importance of legislative interference
with the marriages of the inferior.
CELIBATE IPELLOWSHIPS
A similar process of reasoning leads
to the conclusion that the cutting off of
the superior element from reproduction
would retard the improvement of the race
by lessening the production of superior
offspring without injuring the community
by increasing the production of the in
ferior elements.
The establishment of celibate fellow
ships in some of the oldest of the British
universities is a case in point. The an
nual grants are sufficiently large to sup
port the recipients in comfort, so as to
enable them to devote their whole lives
to some branch of literature, science, or
art undisturbed by the necessity of earn
ing a livelihood. Of course there is
great competition to secure such prizes,
and the finest and brightest young men
are selected by competitive examinations
to receive the fellowships. Thus young
men of the most brilliant intellectual at
tainments are enabled to secure a support
for life-but only on the condition of
celibacy. The moment they marry they
lose their fellowships. If there are many
of these fellowships, and if the plan has
been in operation for any considerable
period of time, it might be well for
students of eugenics to inquire whether
the establishment of celibate fellowships
in the past has had anything to do with
the scarcity of young men of the highest
intellectual caliber that is so much de
plored in England today. Whether it has
or has not, it would certainly seem more
advisable in the interests of the commu
nity that such fellowships should be
granted upon the condition of marriage
rather than celibacy.
PREPOTENCY--THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM
Superior individuals on the whole have
a larger proportion of superior offspring
than the average of the race. Of course
in cases where both parents were superior
this prepotency is increased. It would be
still further increased if all the four
grandparents were superior, and if three
or four generations of ancestors were all
individually superior a thoroughbred
would be produced. We are all familiar
with the prepotency of the thoroughbred
among animals. Indeed, as I have said
before, it is mainly through the use of
thoroughbreds that we improve our
stocks of domestic animals. In the case
of men and women who are thorough
bred in respect to the points of superi
ority, it is obvious that their descend
ants, spreading out among the population
and marrying into average or inferior
families, would prove prepotent over their
partners in marriage in affecting the off
spring, thus leading to an increase in the
proportion of superior offspring produced
from the average or inferior with whom
they have mated. Thus not only would
the proportion of superior offspring pro
duced, by the community as a whole be
increased, but the level of superiority in
the superior class would also be raised.
There would thus be a general advance
in the possession of desirable qualities all
along the line from tle lowest to the
highest. Is not this what we mean by
improvement of the species?
LEGISLATIVE RESTRICTIONS UPON
RIAGE UNWISE
MAR-
This result, I am inclined to believe,
would follow from the simple process of
promoting the marriage of the superior
with the superior without resort to legis
lative restrictions upon marriage to re
duce the production of the inferior.
Of course, such restrictions should be
considered, but the moment we propose
to interfere with the liberty of marriage
we tread upon dangerous ground. The
institution of marriage not only provides
for the production of offspring, but for
the production of morality in the com
munity at large. This is a powerful reason
why we should not interfere with it any
more than can possibly be helped. There
are other reasons, however, arising from
a consideration of the rights possessed
by individuals in a free community.
Among the inalienable rights recog-
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